WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard
120 parts Complete Sometimes you have to go far away to realize just how close you really are.
A straightforward, honest and emotional journey of the heart, We Gather Together is a perceptive and joyous story about a small-town suburban family that wants to come together at Thanksgiving but cannot.
Highlighting four days in the life of the McCullochs, this novel is about family and forgiveness, reunion and redemption. It also, in essence, details five love stories woven within the fabric of this one family. Each such story represents a stage of love: young and new, confident and comfortable, troubled and chaotic, tragic and traumatic, and genuine and timeless. Told with acuity and humor, We Gather Together reaffirms that our greatest moments in life are derived from our simplest pleasures.
Briefly, the novel centers on Sam and Julia McCulloch as they prepare for their annual Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Westchester County, New York, when three of their four children will be there for the holiday with spouses and grandchildren. Their eldest son Scott fled years ago and has distanced himself both physically and emotionally from most in the family after an altercation with his father involving the family printing business.
Each of Sam and Julia's children has his/her own dilemma: second son Drew has a business predicament and a supportive wife in Cara; only daughter Annie is split from her husband Jack Drexler who wants to reconcile because of their kids, but he loses his job, complicating the separation; and youngest son Ben considers his future while he finishes up college and becomes involved with a fellow student, Alison.
Unknown to anyone in the family, Scott, a recovering alcoholic, has recently suffered a devastating personal tragedy. Wanting to be alone, he avoids any reminder of the holidays; however, he finds himself helping a desperate colleague, Maya Noguchi, by driving her east across the country to meet a deadline.